Vietnam, Qatar renew efforts to enhance all-round cooperation

The agreement was reached during talks in Hanoi on August 15 between Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

The two sides emphasized the need to coordinate well in organizing activities to celebrate 30 years of bilateral diplomacy in 2023, as well as in supporting each other at multilateral forums such as ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

They consented to further strengthen trade and investment promotion activities, create favourable conditions for their strong export products to enter each other’s markets, and improve the efficiency of cooperation between their investment agencies such as Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and the State Capital Investment Corporation of Vietnam (SCIC).

Minister Son affirmed that Vietnam will support Qatari businesses in exploring and investing in the Vietnamese market. He also expected that Vietnam would welcome more Qatari tourists in the near future as its tourism industry is enjoying a strong recovery after the pandemic.

In order to create a breakthrough in bilateral cooperation, Son suggested that the two sides soon convene the third meeting of the Vietnam – Qatari Joint Commission for Economic, Commercial and Technological Cooperation to hammer out measures for strong cooperation in various fields, speed up negotiations and sign bilateral cooperation agreements.

In response, Qatari Depyuty PM and FM Mohammed highly appreciated Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements in recent times, affirming Vietnam is a priority partner and an attractive destination for Qataris investors.

He acknowledged Son’s proposals and suggested the two sides enhance information sharing on investment opportunities and expand cooperation in the fields of green economy, renewable energy, science and technology, and agriculture to ensure food security.

Both host and guest exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern. They signed an agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official and special passports.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani began a two-day visit to Vietnam on August 14 at the invitation of Foreign Minister of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son.

The visit is part of the Qatari official’s Asian tour that also includes Singapore, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea.

Vietnam and Qatar established diplomatic ties in 1993. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two-way trade turnover between the two countries hit US$400 million last year.

Leading Qatari corporations such as Qatar Airways and Qatar National Bank (QNB) are operating effectively in Vietnam.